Just one more thing!

BFF KP showed me this website that has the total story of one woman's journey through weight loss and exercise. The blog is called One Twenty Five. It is quickly becoming a favorite! She is a great inspiration to kick start anybody! Here are two of my favorite posts of hers so far:

I wonder...

I have often asked myself what would fill the void in my thoughts if I didn't have to worry or be self-conscious about my weight anymore. She couldn't have said it better.

My Reasons to Run

Self-motivation for the days where you just don't have the get-up-and-go! Definitely going to make myself one of these lists. Like ASAP.

The Long Haul...

It's time.

I'm really doing it this time.

No, for reals y'all...

I am going to lose this stupid college weight.

My freshman year of college, I did that thing my mom told me not to do. I gained the Freshman 15... make that 30. I drank, I ate too much (stupid buffet and delicious cookies) and I never exercised. It was a very healthy lifestyle, clearly. And although I have cut most of that out, for some reason, I didn't drop the weight immediately. Imagine that! So now I have to work at it.

As a disclaimer for future postings, I hate exercise. Not just a little, a whole lot. And it is not because I have never tried it, because I have. All forms and variations. Even with the TV on in front of me, I cannot stand to stand on a treadmill for more than 15 minutes at a time. Running outside makes me uncomfortable. I live in Atlanta, which is kind of scary sometimes, and I straight up do not like being outside. So what's a girl to do?!

Suck it up. I am almost 25 years old, meaning I have carried this extra weight around for seven years. It is time. It's time for me to stop feeling sorry for myself and do something about it. And finally, it's for the right reasons.

It's not that I feel guilty about my eating habits or lack of exercise. It's more that I have decided that being lazy and careless is no longer an excuse. And without those, I have no excuses. I have to get healthy. I have a lot to look forward to in the future and I would rather not be huffing and puffing and whining about how fat I look in the pictures. I want to feel good running around chasing my nephews. I deserve a better quality of life than the one I am giving myself.

Saturday was the turning point. I got my bridesmaids dress for Emily's wedding back from the alterations place and I looked like a great big whale. Granted, we took the dress back for further alterations and I will feel exponentially less whale-ish on Saturday, but still, the image lingered. I just knew it was actually time to do something about my weight, so I could be healthier and stronger and feel more secure and confident.

So Ryan picked up some healthy foods for dinner and it began. It wasn't the epic undertaking I had imagined it to be. Unfortunately, there was no fast forwarded montage through the weight loss process like in the movies. So I guess I am in it for the long haul...

I am eating much smaller portions of healthier foods. No drastic changes there. I'm drinking very little and only rarely. No big changes there either. The main changes have been the exercise and the removal of all Coke products from my life.

The exercise. I am doing, mostly, a program called P90X. It. Is. Brutal. BRUTAL. It is so hard and intense. Since I am not in the best shape of my life, I do what I can and push myself each time to get better, go farther and last longer. It is going to be a proud day when I am able to finish one of those videos without laying on the floor unable to move for half an hour afterward. For the record, I have a cycle of a few videos I am doing, not the whole set. The whole set would be waaaaaaaaaaay to intense for someone of my out-of-shapeness! Maybe that is another goal to have... you know... down the road...

So here are the stats as they stand:

Height: 5'10

Starting Weight: 169

Current Weight: 164.5

Goal Weight: 145

Ideal Completion: June 21, 2011 (The day I go to Greece with the girls!)

Thanks for reading my self-serving and cathartic rant (if you got this far)!

I'll be less detailed, while still keeping you posted about my weight loss journey in the future. PROMISE!!

Best wishes and blessings,

B

Hoopa!

I am terrible at this. It is official!

Lucky for you, my dear readers, a frenzy of activity has taken place in the past month and a half. Right before Christmas, a dear friend came to us with some not so good news. Fortunately, it was nothing life threatening, but certainly life changing. She has handled the transition with all the grace and poise in the world and I continue to be impressed by her courage, strength, and her faith in the Lord. She is the definition of a class act.

When God shuts a door, he opens a window... however small the window seems compared to the door...

We are going to Greece this summer!! The aforementioned friend, RC, and a couple of others, MAC and BB, all decided one night to take a trip to the gorgeous peninsula/island nation! Home to democracy, philosophy and Kostos from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I cannot wait to go! The itinerary for the trip has us going to Athens, Santorini and Mykonos. Museums, tours, then quality time on the beach and walking around.

More fun stories to come later!

Best wishes and blessings,

B

Wedding Bells will be ringing!

Not mine, clearly.

But things are really falling into place for sweet Emily's wedding in February. She has picked out our dresses, the church, the minister, the organist, the florist, the reception site. Almost everything. I am so excited for her!

We will be having her bachelorette party here in town, but doing it in style! We have rooms at a swanky hotel (thank goodness we have a friend that works there! ;)), nice dinners and plenty of time built in for bachelorette type shenanigans. It will be a welcome break from everything football related, so I am really looking forward to it.

I realize I haven't posted in a while, so some updates for you will be required:

1. The season ended with a loss to the no. 11 team in the country and while it was a blow out, we did score a touchdown! RZ has decreed that we never talk about that game again... I can't argue.

2. Savannah was great... for the 24 hours we got to stay and enjoy ourselves. Unfortunately, RZ's grandmother passed away while we were down there. Incredibly sad. So we came back on Sunday morning so he could head to Ohio on Monday.

3. Thanksgiving was incredibly uneventful. Quality time with MAC and the family. Lots of sleeping in, enjoyed every minute of it. Though I did miss RZ while he was away.

4. Recruiting is the devil and might be the death of me. I have been working every day for the past 3 weeks straight. Not kidding, up at 6:30 or 7, everyday. No weekends, Sunday afternoons are my only relief. Party planning and decorating are delightful, but I prefer to do it on my terms. The men in my life have no clue that formal arrangements of red roses would be completely inappropriate for a barbecue lunch with checkered picnic table cloths. Lord, help me.

5. The Nutcracker has swiftly become one of my favorite holiday traditions. Fluffy, Tater and I attended the ballet on Saturday night (I got out of a recruiting meal for one night!) and it was amazing. Second row seats are so close it is almost disconcerting. I have decided that professional ballet dancers' legs frighten me. They could seriously injure/ kill someone. Seriously. Moving on, we added a new part to the tradition though, a pre-ballet Melting Pot extravaganza. The first and last courses were obviously my favorites, a course of entirely bread and cheese and then stuff dipped in chocolate?? Okay, twist my arm, I'm in!

6. More parties than even I know what to do with. I love a good Christmas party, but sweet Mary, this is A LOT. I had to write up a calendar for SOME PEOPLE to be able to keep up... not even kidding.

7. Giant possibility I will be going to Greece and Italy this summer with some girlfriends. Like 99% happening. So stoked.

That's all I've got for now. You have been sufficiently caught up now. I know you feel better now! ;)

Best wishes and blessings,

B

P.S. I still want these for Christmas... just sayin...

The Great Escape

I. Must. Get. Out. Of. Here.

I love my job, I really do. But the stress of the season is wearing on me. And RZ lost it a long time ago. (Since I only have 6 followers and all of them are my close friends, I feel no need to explain who RZ is.) We are both going crazy, and we need to get the heck out of Atlanta!

So, we are taking a trip together. I know. It's soon. But it's still three weeks (two games) away. It will be nice to spend an entire day together because the season just won't allow it right now. He's a coach, so the hours are not exactly conducive to spending time together. We get to see each other for dinners sometimes, during the day occasionally, and when he gets out of class at night, so this will be a big step for us.

We've decided, after much deliberating, to take a trip to Savannah! I've never been, (weird, I know) and so I am really excited. We will be there for three nights and then drive home a few days before Thanksgiving. November 19th, life will be wonderful. I just hope I can make it that long...

November 19, 2010: Real life begins again

November 19, 2010: The day after the last game of the season. For the past few months, it has been as though I've been living a strange little half life. I am completely consumed by a sport that 6 months ago I only marginally cared about. It seems so long ago that I though about days and dates as being individual units, instead of thinking of them in terms of being week long spurts between games.

I've learned a lot about football while I've been here. Like a lot. Probably more than I will ever need to know. But I guess I can drop my knowledge bombs to impress unsuspecting crowds... so that's a plus.

But the negative side is, all that football info is replacing my pop culture knowledge! I don't really have time to sit down and watch TV any more. I used to catch up on Saturdays during the day, but clearly that isn't an option right now. I have to much to do during that time!

I am hoping that after the big move on Friday, I'll be able to sit down and catch up on the things I used to enjoy, like reading and tv and lazing around on Fluffy and Tater's couch. My pop culture radio silence has been kind of refreshing, but I miss having time to sit down and relax!

Any books, tv shows or movies you've read or seen in the last 3 months that you recommend? I've been so out of the loop, I'm going to need your help on this one!

Best wishes and blessings,

Brooke

Big changes ahead!

Hello all!

Sorry it has been a while since I have written! The end of September and beginning of October have been ridiculous and I am still trying to wrap my head around all the randomness and shenanigans that have been going on in my life.

I know one thing though: excitement is everywhere! One of my wonderful best friends, EAB, got engaged last Sunday! She and her boyfriend, now fiancé, have been dating for almost 6 years. I am thrilled beyond words for the two of them. No date has been set yet, but I can't wait for whenever it will be!

And the great news continues! MAC and I are moving in t-minus two weeks! Getting out of the parents house once again and I am super stoked. We found a great two bedroom condo in Buckhead, well within our price range. It's location is perfect, I can be pretty much anywhere I need to go in less than 15 minutes, which is a nice change of pace from my half an hour morning commute. Mom, Dad and I spent the day yesterday working on the furniture I will be taking to the apartment. None of the tables were stained the same color, so we did a complete overhaul and painted them all black! I'll post pictures as soon as we get them done.

As soon as November 19th rolls around, I feel like my life will be back to (semi) normal and I will have delightful things to talk about without thinking about football all the time!

Best wishes and blessings,

Brooke